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Quick Question About Studying Abroard

Hello everyone! I am YellowJane and am pretty new to this site, so I hope this is the right place to ask this: I want to study both German and Russian (haven't decided if it's WITH Russian or AND Russian yet) and was told by Exeter Uni that I would only have 8 months on my year living abroard, and would most likely be sent to my weakest languages country! A little confused, as my teachers told me they'd done German and French (in many cases) and had been to each for 6 months, totalling a year! Is it just Exeter being funny and only giving you 8 months, or is this a national time nowadays? Thanks! And sorry this is all in one block, this site won't let me use the Return Key! :P

Reply 1

Anna Schoon

I think it varies from university to university. And also it depends on whether you're doing German with Russian ab initio; or German with/and Russian at the same level.

If they do send you to one country for more than a six-month period, you will probably be expected to spend most of the rest of the time in the other country.

For example, at my university when I a student, joint honours students (with languages at the same level) had to spend 8 months in one country and 3 in the other. This meant that we could actually get a full-time contract teaching as a language assistant in the first country, which gave decent pay; or we could enrol full-time on a university course. We had to write a 10,000 word dissertation in that time in the foreign language. We could do what we liked for the 3 months in the other country, but we did have to write a mini-dissertation (2000 words) in the other language as well.

But even in my day other universities were doing 6 months in each country. This was actually perceived as a bit of a nuisance because it meant you couldn't get an assistantship or actually complete a full academic year at a university abroad.

Exeter is a great place to go for languages and if they suggest 8 months in the country of your weaker language then they'll have a good reason for that.

Reply 2

YellowJane

Okay, thanks for your response! I am still a little puzzled as to why there's not a whole year. When I asked they just said because only 8 months were academic! The rest are hols apparently. However thanks for your answer, maybe I will get more views as well..? :smile: